My Father The Mercenary is a Documentary programme.

Image for the Documentary programme "My Father The Mercenary"

My Father The Mercenary

Philip Sessarego was a soldier of fortune who had fought in 80s Afghanistan, taken part in a coup in the Maldives and trained the Sri Lankan army.

In 1993, he walked out on his family and was, apparently, killed soon after. His daughter, Claire, who was just 14 years old at the time thought she'd never see him again but, much to the family's astonishment, he appeared on television in 2001, using an assumed name, as an expert pundit on the mujahaddin.

Then, in November 2008, a body was found decomposing in a garage in the Belgian city of Antwerp and, using DNA samples, the corpse was confirmed as that of her father.

This emotional film follows Claire and her brother Paul, as they travel from their home in Hereford to Belgium to collect their father's remains, and to uncover the extraordinary story.

Genre: Documentary

Running Time: 25 minutes (approx)